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Steroids and Scandal: Major League Baseball, 2013

In my brother’s previous blog we covered the oddball blackout at the Super Bowl in New Orleans, speaking of the color black, another black eye has befallen America’s pastime.

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Steroids once again have reared their ugly head in professional sports. Aside from the fall of Lance Armstrong and the continued denials by stars such as Alex Rodriguez and others, one has to wonder how does a fan deal with the blemishes that continue to appear on the sports we love and follow?

The Major League Baseball logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This year we have seen the Hall of Fame vote marred by the inclusion of suspected PED users on the ballot, costing one very deserving candidate in Dale Murphy, a place in Cooperstown.

I am all for understanding that athletes, do make mistakes. I also believe, however, that those who willingly cheat should be punished severely, up to and including a lifetime ban from baseball.

The 1919 Black Sox and Pete Rose all played clean. Their indiscretions mostly sprang from off the field behavior, but even that should not have resulted in them being banned for life. Gambling is not the same as trying to gain an unfair advantage over an opponent on the field of play.

The most recent case that comes to my mind aside from Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun is Melky Cabrera, who in 2012 had one of the best years of his career, garnering an All-Star nomination and winning the MVP of the All-Star game. Within a month he received his 50-game suspension.

I cannot tell you how aggravating it is personally for someone who physically will never be able to play Major League Baseball.

I don’t know why these men, who seemingly know the consequences of cheating, do so anyway, assuming they watched the scandals that engulfed men like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens Rafael Palmero, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

Perhaps, like most people who are tempted, maybe it’s the thought of getting away with something taboo.

It seems that cheating no matter if it’s athletic or not is seemingly embraced by some in our society. Cutting corners has become commonplace in politics and many other places of power.

In a culture of excess that plagues all professional sports, when will athletes be held accountable and I mean truly responsible for their actions?

Every time a new scandal erupts, more damage is done to the game and to its competitors and makes it nearly impossible for those who compete honestly to avoid their own cloud of suspicion.

MLB Network (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Larry Boa, an analyst for the Major League Baseball Network, agreed and said that of all the things steroid scandals bring is the almost perpetual suspicion that falls on every player no matter if they were suspected or not.

According to conversations with my brother, the NFL is finally starting to institute anti-cheating policies, starting with testing for HGH.

I know this point has been repeated over and over again but it needs to be. Once more, as a fan I not only feel betrayed but angry at the fact that cheaters seem to prosper when as children we were taught that cheaters are never rewarded.

Would you want your kids cheering for a cheater?

This does not only apply to sports but to life.

What are your thoughts?

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